USPTO Patents Application 09886994

Application No.

Applicant(s)

Notice of Allowability

09/886,994

GIRARDI ET AL

Exam in r

Art Unit

Tarn M. Nguyen

1764

- The MAILING DATE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with th correspondence address-

All claims being allowable, PROSECUTION ON THE MERITS IS (OR REMAINS) CLOSED in this application. If not included
herewith (or previously mailed), a Notice of Allowance (PTOL-85) or other appropriate communication will be mailed in due course. THIS
NOTICE OF ALLOWABILITY IS NOT A GRANT OF PATENT RIGHTS. This application is subject to withdrawal from issue at th initiative
of the Office or upon petition by the applicant. See 37 CFR 1.313 and MPEP 1308.

1 . ^ This communication is responsive to the RCE filed on December 10, 2004 .

2. M The allowed claim(s) is/are 1-12 .

3. The drawings filed on 25 June 2001 are accepted by the Examiner.

4. M Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).

a) S All b) □ Some* c) □ None of the:

1 . ^ Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.

2. □ Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No. .

3. □ Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this national stage application from the

International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
* Certified copies not received: .

Applicant has THREE MONTHS FROM THE "MAILING DATE" of this communication to file a reply complying with the requirements
noted below. Failure to timely comply will result in ABANDONMENT of this application.
THIS THREE-MONTH PERIOD IS NOT EXTENDABLE.

5. □ A SUBSTITUTE OATH OR DECLARATION must be submitted. Note the attached EXAMINER'S AMENDMENT or NOTICE OF

INFORMAL PATENT APPLICATION (PTO-152) which gives reason(s) why the oath or declaration is deficient.

6. □ CORRECTED DRAWINGS ( as "replacement sheets") must be submitted.

(a) □ including changes required by the Notice of Draftsperson's Patent Drawing Review ( PTO-948) attached

1) □ hereto or 2) □ to Paper No./Mail Date .

(b) □ including changes required by the attached Examiner's Amendment / Comment or in the Office action of

Paper No./Mail Date .

Identifying indicia such as the application number (see 37 CFR 1.84(c)) should be written on the drawings in the front (not the back) of
each sheet. Replacement sheet(s) should be labeled as such in the header according to 37 CFR 1.121(d).

7. □ DEPOSIT OF and/or INFORMATION about the deposit of BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL must be submitted. Note the

attached Examiner's comment regarding REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEPOSIT OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL.

Attachment(s)

□

1. □ Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)

5.

Notice of Informal Patent Application (PTO-152)

2. □ Notice of Draftperson's Patent Drawing Review (PTO-948)

6.

□

Interview Summary (PTO-413),

Paper No./Mail Date

3. □ Information Disclosure Statements (PTO-1449 or PTO/SB/08),

7.

□

Examiner's Amendment/Comment

Paper No./Mail Date

4. Q Examiner's Comment Regarding Requirement for Deposit

8.

El

Examiner's Statement of Reasons for Allowance

of Biological Material

9.

□

Other

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
PTOL-37 (Rev. 1-04)

Notice of Allowability

Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20050106

Application/Control Number: 09/886,994 Page 2

Art Unit: 1764

REASONS FOR ALLOWANCE

The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance: The primary reason
for allowance is that no prior art of record discloses or suggests a process for separating mixtures
of hydrocarbon isomers on molecular sieves, including providing columns which include
molecular sieve and function alternately as secondary adsorption, primary adsorption, and
desorption devices, feeding the mixtures of hydrocarbon isomers to a column functioning as the
primary adsorption device for adsorbing isomers with greater selectivity towards the molecular
sieves, feeding effluent of the mixtures from the column functioning as the primary adsorption
device to a column functioning as the secondary adsorption device for adsorbing remaining
isomers with greater selectivity, discharging isomers with a lower selectivity from the column
functioning as the secondary adsorption device and a desorbing agent therein, feeding a
desorbing agent to the column functioning as the desorption device, discharging isomers with a
greater selectivity towards the molecular sieves and the desorbing agent in the column
functioning as the desorption device wherein the at least the steps performing adsorption and
desorption of the hydrocarbon isomers in gas phase are carried out at a pressure of about 1.1 bar.

Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the
payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue
fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled "Comments on Statement of Reasons for
Allowance."

Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
examiner should be directed to Tarn M. Nguyen whose telephone number is (571) 272-1452.
The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Thursday.

Application/Control Number: 09/886,994

Page 3

Art Unit: 1764

If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's
supervisor, Glenn Caldarola can be reached on (571) 272-1444. The fax phone number for the
organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 703-872-9306.

Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent
Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications
may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished
applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR
system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR
system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).

Tarn M. Nguyen
Examiner

Art Unit 1764

TN

Walter D. Grtffin
Primary Examiner